M.I.A. has been played on NTS in shows including Solid State Survivor w/ Shags Chamberlain, featured first on 10 February 2021. Songs played include Crifana Y Tamilstenes and Imagen II (Incluye Cita Del Preludio Nº 1 De J. S. Bach).

Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam also known as M.I.A., (born 18 July 1975 in Hounslow, London, U.K.) is a British artist of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. As a baby she moved with her family to their native Sri Lanka, where her father became increasingly politically active in militant activities. As the Civil War escalated the rest of the family was forced to flee as refugees, first to India and then the UK. “M.I.A.” [“Missing In Action”] references both her London neighborhood (Acton) and her politically tumultuous youth.

Her style contains elements of hip-hop, reggae, alternative, dance hall, electro and baile funk and is strongly inspired by her Sri Lankan background.